Apparatus for handling strands



NOV. 19, 1940. FORD 2,222,287

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDS Filed May 28, 1938 t FIG. I.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,222,287 APPARATUS FOR. HANDLING STRANDS Ben K. Ford, Westfield, N. 3., assig'nor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N- a corporation of New York Application May 28, 1938, Serial No. 210,616

9 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for handling strands and more particularly to knitting apparatus.

In the knitting art certain types of knitting heads employ levers actuated by means of cams to impart reciprocatory movement to the knitting needles. It has been found that the positioning of substantially frictionless means betweenthe levers and the cams of such knitting heads adds considerably to the efiiciency and the quietness of operation thereof.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, efiicient and practical knitting apparatus.

" One embodiment of the invention contemplates a knitting apparatus having a hollow rotatable carrier supporting a plurality of needles in a ring about a core passing therethrough, strand supply and guide means to feed strands to be knitted about the core to the needles, and associated stationary cam members in combination with a plurality of levers through substantially frictionless means such as rollers to operate the needles.

Other objects and advantages will be. apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a knitting head illustrating the invention, portions thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a perspective sectional view of the cams illustrating the formation of the associated cam surfaces, and

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are fragmentary detailed views illustrating positions of the levers at various portions of the cams.

The embodiment herein disclosed comprises a circular knitting apparatus of general conventional construction of which only sufi'icient is shown in the drawing to enable a clear understanding of the novelty embodying the invention.

A stationary base or housing In mounted upon a suitable support (not shown) has an inwardly extending integral bearing II for a shaft I2 rotatably driven from a suitable power means (not shown). Upon the inner end of the shaft I2 is fixed a bevelled gear l3 interengaging a bevelled gear I 4 keyed to the lower end of the hollow or tubular needle carrier support l5. The support I5 is journalled in a downwardly projecting bearing portion l7 integral with the housing ill. The upper end of the tubular support l5 has anenlarged annular portion resting upon the upper 5 surface of the housing and has an annular groove I8 in its upper end to receive an annular flange of a needle carrier 20. A cap. 2| is threadedly connected to the support I5 and positioned to engage the flange of the needle carrier to secure the needle carrier to the support l5. 5

The needle carrier 20 has a portion extending downwardly into the support l5 and another portion extending upwardly therefrom, the needle carrier being grooved throughout its length at spaced positions about its periphery as indicated at 23 for slidably receiving needles 24 therein.

This apparatus is similar in construction and operation to the knitting apparatus shown in my copending application Serial No. 104,774, filed October 9, 1936,. now Patent No. 2,126,250.

The needles 24 are of the conventional type with the hooked ends and the pivotal latch. Mounted upon the upper portion of the needle carrier 20 is an annular support 25 notched at spaced positions about its periphery, as at 26, for means 21 to removably secure lever brackets 28 thereto. The number of lever brackets depends upon the number of needles being employed, as each lever bracket pivotally supports 25 a lever 29 operatively connected, as at 30, to one of the needles. An annular guide 32 notched at spaced positions about its periphery to freely receive the lower arm 33 of each lever 29 is carried by the annular support 25 and fixed thereto by suitable means such as bolts.

Formed in the upper surface of the housing i0 is an annular groove 31 disposed concentric with the bearing portion I! and supplied with a lubricating medium such as oil to allow free movement of the lower ends of the levers 29 as they are moved by means of cams 39 and 40 and lubricate the cam surfaces and the rollers hereinafter described. The cams are fixed to the housing by suitable means such as machine screws.

In the present embodiment the associated cams 39 and 40*have their lever controlling surfaces 42 and 43, respectively, shaped so as to form what may be termed four high portions and four intermediate low portions. Substantially frictionless elements such as rollers 44 are rotatably mountedupon the lower arms 33 of the levers and positioned to ride in the groove or path formed by the cam surfaces 42 and 43. If desired the rollers 44 may be provided with internal roller or ball hearings to further render them frictionless. In the present embodiment -rollers 44 are cylindrical and have diametrically opposed parallel walls. In order that the rollers,

during their circuitous movement relative to the cams, will engage cam surfaces of substantially equal widths and such surfaces will at all times, during the movement of the levers, be parallel to 5 the walls of the rollers, the cam surfaces 42 and 43 are formed as indicated in Fig. 2. The angles of the walls of the rollers 44 vary with respect to the axis of rotation of the knitting head as they are controlled by the cam surfaces 42 and w 43, and the cam surfaces are generated so that, during the variation in the angles of the walls of the rollers, the angles of the cam surfaces vary so as to maintain the parallel relation of these walls and surfaces.

15 Uprights 48 mounted upon the housing In support near their upper ends a cross bar 49 having fixed near its center a guide tube 50 for guiding a core 5| to and through the needle carrier. An annular member 52 is adjustably secured to 20 the guide 50 and removably carries in apertures therein strand guides 53 apertured at their lower ends for the passage of strands 54 therethrough. The strands 54 are received from supply means (not shown) and are directed around tension 25 discs 56 to the guides 53. The tension discs 56 by the aid of the pins 51 are rotatably disposed upon a bracket 58, the latter being secured to one of the uprights 48.

When the apparatus is set in operation through 30 the rotation of the-shaft l2 the gears I3 and I4 cause rotation of the support Hi to rotate the needle carrier 20 and with it the needles 24 and their respective levers 29. As these various elements are rotated the arms 33 of the levers, with 35 their rollers 44, are swung through a circuitous path guided by the cams 39 and 40 to cause the reciprocation of the needles 24 in predetermined sequence, resulting in the knitting of a sheath about a core 5|.

40 At certain positions, as indiciated at 60 in Fig. .2 and further illustrated in Fig. 4, the arms 33 of the levers are so positioned that their vertical center lines, which are the common center lines for their rollers 44, are parallel to the axis of ro- 45 tation of the knitting head, and at these positions the walls of the rollers and the adjacent walls of the cam surfaces 42 and 43 are also parallel to the axis of rotation of the knitting head. These positions occur at the juncture of the high and 50 low portions of the cams, However, when the rollers leave these positions, for example, upon arriving at a high portion of the cam, the angles of the roller surfaces change as the arms 33 of the lever are swung outwardly, as indicated ,in

55 Fig. 3, and during this outward movement and continuous changing of the angles of the roller surfaces, the angles of the cam surfaces change so that at all times the cam surfaces and the roller surfaces will be parallel. The sameresult o is accomplished when the rollers enter and pass through a low portion of the cams, as illustrated inFig. 5.

By viewing Fig. 1 with the formation of the cam surfaces 42 and 43 (Fig. 2) in mind, it will 65 be observed that the lever arm 33 and the roller 44, in their circuitous movementabout the axis of rotation, vary angularly with respect to the axis and the cam surfaces vary angularly accordingly. The roller, therefore, engages cam surfaces which are parallel to its walls throughout its travel about the axis of rotation, reducing to a minimum the possibility of wear upon the cam surfaces and the roller.

It should be understood that the needle con- 7 trolling means. including the needle carrier. and

the levers may be held stationary and the cam means rotated relative thereto, that both the needle controlling means and the cam means may be rotated either in opposite directions or in the same direction at different speeds, and 5 the invention may be further modified and departed from in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a knitting apparatus having a needle carrierand a needle movable therein, a pivotally mounted lever operatively connected to the needle, a roller carried by the lever, a cam having a surface to engage the roller and control the lever, means to cause relative movement of'the lever and cam to cause the cam to move the lever about its pivot, the surface of the cam conforming to the engaging surface of the roller during movement of the roller.

2 In a knitting apparatus, a pivotally mounted needle actuating lever having a cam engaging portion, and a cam to cause pivotal movement of the lever having a surface varying angularly to lie parallel with the said portion at the lines of engagement therewith.

3. In a knitting apparatus, a needle, an oscillatory element to cause movement of the needle having a cam engaging portion, a cam to cause oscillation of the element, and means to cause relative movement of the cam and element, the cam having asurface varying angularly to lie parallel with the said portion at the lines of engagement therewith.

4. In a knitting apparatus, a needle, an oscillatory element to cause movement of the needle, a roller carried by the element, a cam to cause oscillation of the element, and means to causerelative movement of the cam and element, the

cam having a surface varying angularly with the element during oscillation to lie parallel with the roller at the lines of engagement therewith.

5. In a knitting apparatus, a needle, an oscillatory element to cause movement of the needle, 45 a roller carried by the element, a cam to cause oscillation of the element, and means to cause relative movement of the cam and element, the cam having a groove with surfaces formed parallel with each other and with the roller at the lines of contact with the roller.

6. In a knitting apparatus, a needle, an oscil- 4 latory element to cause movement of the needle,

a roller carried by the element, cams having cooperating surfaces to oscillate the element, and means to cause relative movement of the cams and element, the cam surfaces being formed parallel with each other and the roller at the lines of contact with the roller.

7. In a knitting apparatus, a needle, a carrier therefor, means to rotate the needle carrier, a pivotal lever operatively connected to the needle and mounted for rotation with the needle carrier, a rotating element carried by the lever, and a cam having a surface describing an irregular e path about the axis of the carrier to swing the element with the lever through predetermined angles relative to the axis during rotation and variable angularly to lie parallel with the element at each line of contact therewith.

8. In a knitting apparatus, needle controlling means including a needle carrier, a needle mov-" able therein and a pivotally mounted lever to actuate the needle, cam means having cooperating lever controlling surfaces, mechanism to 111- tate one of said means to cause relative movement of the leverland "cam surfaces through a circuitous path about the axis of rotation, the cam surfaces causing angular variations of the lever relative to the axis of rotation during the said relative movement and varying angularlyv with the lever.

BEN K. FORD. 

